With the annual Memorial Day weekend upon us, I thought it might be a good time to look a little more closely at posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD occurs after experiencing or witnessing an extremely traumatic, terrifying or tragic event. Combat PTSD is more common in soldiers who have experienced active military action on the battlefield. There’s no rhyme or reason as to why some soldiers can perform well on the battlefield with no problems, while some get PTSD. Sometimes the symptoms of PTSD — terrifying recurrent nightmares or flashbacks — don’t start until after the soldier has returned home.
Treatment for combat PTSD is usually handled by the Veterans Administration (VA) for returning soldiers. Treatment usually consists of a combination of individual and group psychotherapy with psychologists who are specially trained in the treatment of PTSD. Medication is often prescribed as well to help treat the acute symptoms of PTSD (such as an accompanying depressive episode). Treatment usually takes time and patience, and can last anywhere from a few months to years. Psychotherapy has a solid research base showing positive results for people with PTSD; the specific type of psychotherapy used seems not to matter in helping a person with PTSD feel better (Benish, et. al., 2008). Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the usual preferred psychotherapy treatment (Mueser, et. al., 2008).
Soldiers dealing with the trauma of combat usually first tell a military physician of their feelings, usually as a result of pressure from others. Most soldiers who disclose feelings of PTSD are glad they did so, but nearly half perceived at least one negative response from a doctor or health care provider they told (Leibowitz, et. al., 2008). This suggests healthcare providers need to be more sensitive to the mental health needs of soldiers, especially as it relates to trauma.
It’s really challenging to capture the frustration of random flashbacks and living with daily nightmares for the ordinary person. Your life feels out of control and you feel helpless to stop the images from invading your head. The Daily Times has a great article from a few months back that really paints the picture of a veteran dealing with PTSD:
Instead of dimming with time, [the Vietnam veteran] Collard’s nightmares and flashbacks became more vivid, taking him back to Vietnam in graphic detail. His senses are magnified during the flashbacks, and he actually experiences the traumatic incidents just as he did the first time, he said.
“The dreams, the actual reliving of the experiences, those were horrendous,” he said. “What was going on in my head was just totally unbelievable.”
One flashback rewinds the clock to a day in 1969 when Collard tried to retrieve a soldier from a burning Army personnel carrier. The incident still haunts him, he said, and the sound of a helicopter or the smell of fire can send him back in time.
“When I got the door open, the carrier was totally engulfed in flames,” he said. “I reached in and grabbed a hand and when I pulled on that hand, all the meat come off in my hand.”
When a person senses danger, the brain reacts in one of three ways, Snuggerud said. It instructs the body to fight, flee or freeze. Reactions are the same whether the danger actually exists, and can translate into intense anger or violent confrontations. On the battlefield, fighting or fleeing is expected, she said, but the same reactions in a domestic situation are not appropriate.
“A person’s whole life is influenced by this,” Snuggerud said. “The brain will push the trauma away, but those reactions are still triggered, just like they were in war.
Sadly, not all veterans who receive care for posttraumatic stress disorder get better. Up to 10% may experience PTSD symptoms for years later. Those who do receive care will experience better family relationships, less smoking and more life satisfaction and happiness in general (Koenen, et. al., 2008).
The key to recovery in PTSD is to seek treatment, even if the person is uncertain it will work for them. Because they’ll never know one way or another if they don’t give it a try.
This Memorial Day, we remember not only those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms, but for all veterans still dealing with the lingering effects of war. Thank you for your service.
Read the full article at the Daily Times (NM): Combat that never ends …
Visit our group: Combat PTSD support group
References:
Benish, S.G., et. al. (2008). The relative efficacy of bona fide psychotherapies for treating post-traumatic stress disorder: A meta-analysis of direct comparisons. Clinical Psychology Review, 28(5), 746-758.
Koenen, K.C., et. al. (2008). Persisting posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and their relationship to functioning in Vietnam Veterans: A 14-year follow-up. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 21(1), 49-57.
Leibowitz, R.Q., et. al. (2008). Veterans’ disclosure of trauma to healthcare providers. General Hospital Psychiatry, 30(2), 100-103.
Mueser, K.T., et. al. (2008). A randomized controlled trial of cognitive-behavioral treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder in severe mental illness. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76(2), 259-271.
8 comments
I have treated military combat patients for PTSD. These individuals come to me because they feel strongly that their career will come to a close or at least suffer future promotions due to being viewed as a “crazy.” It does not matter that their military facilities have mental health treatment available. Can you see a career soldier coming out of a psychologist’s office and being seen by his commanding officer? This is sad.
Dr Sam
http://www.DrSam.tv
Hi My name is Helen Saucke (sock-key). I am writing you because of an incident that happened to me while at a private club for people who served in the military. This solider was sitting at the bar two stools away from me drinking and texting on his phone. He was dressed in his class A uniform without his jacket so I couldn’t identify him. Well when he got up to leave the bar, he was still texting while he was leaving and he said good-bye to his friends. He had reached the door and was about to leave, when he turned around and look straight at me and called me a “Uckin .unt” then ran up to me to beat me up. His friends stopped him before he got to me but I ducked on the stool I was sitting on waiting for the contact of hits from him. I straighten up from my chair and he was yelling foul words and then then he did something noboday has ever done to me. He spit right in my face. His friends tried to hold him back but he had some kind of brut strengh. He keept trying to hurt me. I of course was in shock and to this day can still feel his spit on my face. That sticky wet nasty spit. I ran around the bar and his friends were trying subdue him. Him he was crazy and wild. He had blackout and just attacked anyone. It was so scary. They got him outside. His friends aplogised for his actions saying that he just came back from down range and saw four of his friends die and when he got back his girlfriend dumped him that night at a ball because he was acting strange. They were so like please forgive him that he was a mental case. He was a ticking time bomb. to me. I wanted to help him because it seem nobody was doing it. I wanted to save his troubled soul. You see I am a manic depression myself and I drank for many years because for my childhood and adulthood. I was in the Amry in the 80’s which to me was stress free. Not like today’s Military. I feel so sorry for these crippled minded soliders that come home and aren’t treat for their mental problems. They just put a bandage one their problems and tell them to drive on you are a strong solider and here are some pills to get you through to your next deployment. Their bandaid’s are so oozing underneath and the Dept of the Army doesn’t care. Well I care! I found out that the solider was a K9 MP! I talked to his first Sgt. and commander who was actually at the bar I was attacted in. The solider didn’t emember the incident which is normal with a psycotic breakdown. He could have killed me! I talked to him for along time in the Commanders office, telling him he needed help. He said he was going to counselling and they weren’t really helping him. They just put that nasty banaid over his psycological wounds and let him go to Germany and then to Afganastan. I ws shock because he is going to kill someone in his unit or himself or survive this tour and get a Honorable discharge and be a bum!. I want to help these soliders so bad with the help of the Vienam vets who are still suffering from PTSD. There are many of the old soliders that can’t talk about ugly things they experienced in combat! Please reply to my e-mail. Helen Saucke. PS my husband also suffers from PTSD! Sorry about my spelling. I couldn’t find my spell check.
Hi I am a former special forces soldier I am currently reliving each and everything that I did while in the military that was tramatic not all of it was during combat though. I am currently under the care of psychiatrist and I am taking medication (Zoloft and Depakote) though the medicine seems to intensifying the flashbacks to the point where I can actually describe them to my family after they are over.
The problem is I have literally thrown my wife across the house, according to her though I do not remember doing this I don’t remember any of it sadly. I feel as if I am going to lose my family as a result things are not going very good. I go back to see my shrink on the 16th though I don’t feel that the medicine is helping. I do not want to hurt anyone least of all my wife, son and adopted daughter please someone give me some guidance here I am totally at a loss.
I am also totally disabled physically and unable to work maybe this is what is causing all this trouble now. Please any suggestions would be much appreciated